Said to be built on the site of Indraprastha, mentioned in Mahabharata - the great Indian epic, Old Fort has been the seat for administration for many emperors. Now in ruins, this citadel had the glory of being the seat of the legendary ruler, Prithviraj Chauhan. Sher Shah Suri built it after he demolished the Humayun's city, Dinpanah. There are bastions on the corners of the western wall of the fort. The 2-km long ramparts of Purana Quila boast of three double-storied main gates sporting 'chhatris' on top. They can be found in north, south and west.
The northern one is called the 'Talaqi-Darwaza' (the Forbidden Gate) and has a carving of marble lions engaged in combat with a man in its front. One can still see the remnants of the colored tiles which used to ornament its exteriors. However, it is said that Sher Shah could not complete the construction of Old Fort and it was finished by Humayun. Thus, the southern gate of the fort is known as Humayun Darwaza. There is a wide moat on the northern and western sides of the fortress and a causeway connected the fortress with the main land.
Excavations in the Old Fort area have revealed pieces of painted greyware dated around 1000 BC, said to be related to Mahabharata. Relics and remains of later period found here confirm the belief that Purana Quila was built on the site of Indraprastha, the capital of Pandavas. These artifacts range from the Mauryan to early Mughal period, such as Northern Black polished ware, punch-marked coins, human and animal terracotta figurines and inscribed terracotta seals. Sher Shah built a mosque in 1541, with traits of Lodhi to Mughal architecture style.
Sher-Mandal, a double-storey octagonal tower of red sandstone and marble, surmounted by an octagonal chhatri and decorated with glazed tiles and painted plasterwork was also built by him. The latter was said to be used as a library by Humayun. It was from here that Humayun fell down and died. Besides these, there is a Sound and Light Show at Old Fort, presenting the 5000 years of history of Delhi. Other attractions near the Old Fort are a lake with paddle-boating facility and the Zoological Park situated just adjacent to it The history of Old Fort
The Old Fort is one of the most visited tourist places of Delhi. Purana Qila is a citadel which was partly raised by Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri, who was temporarily deposed Humayun. Sher Shah made a major contribution to public works, built the Qila Kunha Mosque and the Sher Mandal within the citadel in 1541 A.D. The purpose of the later is not quite clear though it is thought that Humayun housed his library there. He fell on it's steep stairs while answering the call to prayer, and died as a result three days later.
The three gates of the fort
There are three Gates to this fort. Today entrance is through the Bara Darwaza. The South Gate is called the Humayun Darwaza, probably because Humayun built it or because the tomb of Humayun is visible from here. The third gate is the Talaqi Darwaza. Recent excavations in the fort has revealed painted grey pottery which date back to 1000 BC. Such and many more findings inside the fort have proved the location to be inhabited since the early civilizations. In fact there was a village inside the fort till 1913 called Indrapat which is very close to Indraprastha adding credibility to the theory of Mahabharata having taken place here.
The northern one is called the 'Talaqi-Darwaza' (the Forbidden Gate) and has a carving of marble lions engaged in combat with a man in its front. One can still see the remnants of the colored tiles which used to ornament its exteriors. However, it is said that Sher Shah could not complete the construction of Old Fort and it was finished by Humayun. Thus, the southern gate of the fort is known as Humayun Darwaza. There is a wide moat on the northern and western sides of the fortress and a causeway connected the fortress with the main land.
Excavations in the Old Fort area have revealed pieces of painted greyware dated around 1000 BC, said to be related to Mahabharata. Relics and remains of later period found here confirm the belief that Purana Quila was built on the site of Indraprastha, the capital of Pandavas. These artifacts range from the Mauryan to early Mughal period, such as Northern Black polished ware, punch-marked coins, human and animal terracotta figurines and inscribed terracotta seals. Sher Shah built a mosque in 1541, with traits of Lodhi to Mughal architecture style.
Sher-Mandal, a double-storey octagonal tower of red sandstone and marble, surmounted by an octagonal chhatri and decorated with glazed tiles and painted plasterwork was also built by him. The latter was said to be used as a library by Humayun. It was from here that Humayun fell down and died. Besides these, there is a Sound and Light Show at Old Fort, presenting the 5000 years of history of Delhi. Other attractions near the Old Fort are a lake with paddle-boating facility and the Zoological Park situated just adjacent to it
The history of Old Fort
The Old Fort is one of the most visited tourist places of Delhi. Purana Qila is a citadel which was partly raised by Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri, who was temporarily deposed Humayun. Sher Shah made a major contribution to public works, built the Qila Kunha Mosque and the Sher Mandal within the citadel in 1541 A.D. The purpose of the later is not quite clear though it is thought that Humayun housed his library there. He fell on it's steep stairs while answering the call to prayer, and died as a result three days later.
The three gates of the fort
There are three Gates to this fort. Today entrance is through the Bara Darwaza. The South Gate is called the Humayun Darwaza, probably because Humayun built it or because the tomb of Humayun is visible from here. The third gate is the Talaqi Darwaza. Recent excavations in the fort has revealed painted grey pottery which date back to 1000 BC. Such and many more findings inside the fort have proved the location to be inhabited since the early civilizations. In fact there was a village inside the fort till 1913 called Indrapat which is very close to Indraprastha adding credibility to the theory of Mahabharata having taken place here.
HisBulPics Part II
Teacher: Anjali Handa
Participating Students
Palak Sharma
Nitika Bansal
Lavisha Jeggi
Madhavi Sharma
Second batch of students
Akshita
Gauranshi
Shweta Shukla
Shivani Malik
Hitarthi Kohli
Ms. Komal Ghai
komalsmgs@gmail.com
Teacher's name:: Komal Ghai
School:: St. Mark 's Girls Sr.Sec.School,
India.
Ms. Lipika Chopra -
Lipika_chopra@yahoo.co.in Ms. Pallavi Yadav -
pallaviyadav18@yahoo.com
Ms. Avneet Kaur -
kauravneetsmgs@gmail.com
Ms. Saloni Kataria -
saloni.smgs @ gmail.com Ms. AArushi Sachdeva -
aarushi.sanch @ yahoo.co.in